1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard for a computer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a keyboard for a computer in which a plurality of cursor-control and edit-control functions may be thumb-actuated, and in which an operator may keep his hands on their respective home positions on the keyboard while accomplishing the cursor-control and edit-control functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most keyboards for typewriters, computers, etc. have arranged the keys in straight and transversely-disposed rows; and commonly the Qwerty arrangement has been used for the alphabetic keys.
For computers, the cursor-control keys have been included as a part of the number pad, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,048 which was issued to Dev Choudhury. Or the cursor-control keys have been a pad that is separate from the number pad so that cursor control is not inactivated when the number pad is locked for entry of numbers.
A large variety of specialized keyboards have been patented. The design object of these new keyboards has been rapid and accurate entry of text or data. Very little attention has been given to providing ease in cursor-control and/or manipulation of text as required for editing functions; and yet, cursor-control and manipulation of text are the most time-consuming parts of editing since they require removing one hand from the home position on the keyboard. Further, the most troublesome parts of creative writing are cursor-control and text manipulation, since text rearrangement and editing requires moving one of the hands from the home position.
More particularly, little attention has been paid to providing means for easy actuation of cursor-control keys, the BACKSPACE key, the DELETE key, the INSERT key, the HOME key, the END key, the PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN keys, and the SCREEN-UP and SCREEN-DOWN keys. Thus, editing of text has required one or both hands to be removed from their respective home positions each time a text-editing manipulation is made.
Special keyboards in which character keys are spaced in a generally conventional manner, that is, in a plurality of straight rows, include Jones et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,752; Choudhury, U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,048; Schmidt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,518; Nakayama, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,119; and Merner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,878.
Illig et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,533; and Shelton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,185 teach keyboards in which the keys are arranged nonconventionally, but are arranged in generally straight rows.
Malt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,659; Einbinder, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,929,216 and 3,945,482; and Casey 4,579,470 all teach keyboards in which the keys are not distributed in left and right keypads and in which the arrangement of the keys is not in straight rows.
Malt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,659; Einbinder, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,929,216 and 3,945,482; Casey 4,579,470; Illig et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,533; and Schmidt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,518 teach more utilization of thumb actuation than is taught in conventional keyboards.
Schmidt, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,518 teaches a keyboard in which left and right-hand portions of the keyboard are spaced apart and keys for controlling the cursor, editing keys, arithmetic operator key, numerical keys, punctuation keys, etc. are interposed between the character keys.
Einbinder, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,929,216 and 3,945,482, teaches slanted key tops and keys of varying heights to follow the architecture of the hand.